Neil Jordan interview: Perspectives on fortune and freedom
The film-maker has stepped away from the camera to write a new novel about the 1798 rebellion, seen through the eyes of a scion of landed gentry and a runaway slave
Danielle McLaughlin interview: Slow and steady wins the race
The Cork-based novelist puts her stories through as many as 50 or 60 drafts, but what results each time is a perfectly crafted piece of art
Doireann Ni Ghriofa: ‘I don’t think we have anything to fear from the kingdom of the dead’
The bilingual poet’s book of prose A Ghost In The Throat – which won Irish Book of the Year at the An Post Book Awards – sees past and present, and the worlds of the dead and the living, circle and echo each other endlessly
Zeitgeist: New voices in a changing country
A new poetry anthology draws on the experiences of those who make Ireland a more diverse nation to live in
Sisters: Avant-garde horror story buckles under weight of its own strangeness
Daisy Johnson’s second novel plays with language endlessly in an attempt to convey grief in an original way, but can’t quite pull it off
Sherkin Island: where art and community meet
The BA in Visual Arts on Sherkin island provides a model for distance learning and also sets an example in making art relevant to society at large
A murder mystery which examines the fear factor in true crime documentaries
Louise O’Neill’s direct style and diligent plotting keep the pages turning, but a lighter touch on political issues would be welcome
Tennis Lessons: Dark but daring debut gives it its best shot
Susannah Dickey’s melancholy first novel follows the coming of age of one woman in all its day-to-day and sometimes uncomfortably intimate details
This Happy: Rich and rebellious prose bring this debut to a different level
Niamh Campbell’s first novel is a triumph of style
Almost the Same Blue: Sharply observed short stories that catch the complexity of life
John O’Donnell’s debut collection will keep readers on their toes with the brevity and subtlety of his writing style
Abbie Greaves: ‘Often the silent treatment is a kind of narcissist revenge. It can be wielded as a weapon’
The author found herself walking away from the noises of daily life to find inspiration for her first novel, a moving portrait of a troubled relationship
Notes from an Apocalypse: O’Connell takes an intriguing journey through interesting times
In a follow-up to his acclaimed To Be a Machine, writer Mark O’Connell articulates humankind’s – and one man’s – fascination with the end of the world
Niamh Donnelly: ‘If someone told you two months ago that you could press the pause button on your life would you do it?’
This is a time to sit and wait, to get comfortable with uncertainty
The Weight of Love: Fannin gets under the skin with brilliant debut novel
Columnist, playwright and memoirist Hilary Fannin’s first novel is a finely told story of love and nostalgia
Actress: Enright has the last laugh with razor-sharp prose
Fiction: Everything’s a joke until it’s not in Anne Enright’s brilliant new novel
The Temple House Vanishing: intriguing debut plays with the rules
Fiction: nothing is as it seems in Rachel Donohue’s first novel
Threshold: Rob Doyle presents new possibilities to receptive readers
Novel about someone who moves from a bored existence to an enlightened one is impressive and daring